Rwanda: Rebuilding of a Nation

Book excerpt: Rwanda: Rebuilding of a Nation is a story that takes the reader through a sweeping panorama of Rwanda's history, from its recent past as a nearfailed state to its present as a beacon of hope and successful innovations. Rwanda's rise from the ashes detailed in this book is the culmination of a visionary and laborious process of rebuilding a nation from the brink of collapse. It is also a story of reconciling a people that had been taught to see each other as enemies. Twenty years ago, the world wrote off Rwanda after the worst genocide in recent times left over one million of its people dead and another three million in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. The country was broken in every way possible - socially, culturally, economically and politically. Today, Rwanda has been rebuilt and has become a respectable country, receiving many international accolades for its extraordinary leadership and achievements. The backbone and custodian of this agenda has been and remains the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). This was the case right from its inception before and during the liberation struggle to the implementation of this transformation. The book traces the success of the RPF-driven transformation, which derives from the combination of three interrelated factors. First, a people-centred governance that has spearheaded community development, ownership and accountability. Second, home-grown initiatives in different sectors that have helped to adequately respond to extraordinary challenges. And third, a visionary leadership that listens to its people and inspires them towards self-reliance and dignity. Finally, the book shows that Rwanda's achievements have been possible because the RPF's development agenda is built on power-sharing, consensus-building, gender equality and the primacy of security.